


Discovery

by Clericish



Series: FutureVerse AU [1]
Category: Persona 3, Persona Series
Genre: Deaf Character, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, this is just cute and fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-05
Updated: 2018-10-05
Packaged: 2019-07-25 12:28:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16197554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clericish/pseuds/Clericish
Summary: Minato and Ryoji meet for a late night hang out.Ryoji likes to overthink things.





	Discovery

**Author's Note:**

> Still not the first work in this au chronologically, but I wanted to write something quick and sweet for them early in the series!
> 
> Some notes about this verse:  
> -Minato was born deaf and uses Japanese Sign Language.  
> -Any phrases with quotations but set in italics is being signed.  
> -Dialogue is not written in ASL/JSL sentence structure/grammar; it is written in American English.

This wasn’t a date, just a casual get-together between friends.

Alone.

During the nighttime.

With the person you had a crush on.

That’s what Ryoji repeated in his head as he waited on the park bench, the autumn chill settling on his skin and raising goosebumps despite the warmth of his sweater around his neck. Him and Minato had become fast friends, and Minato had proposed the idea of meeting late into the evening to hang out. Ryoji was almost certainly overanalyzing the situation; of course friends could meet up at night.

Alone.

_With the person you had a crush on._

Ryoji tapped his foot anxiously on the pavement below him, waiting for the familiar figure of his friend to arrive. It was no secret that Ryoji had it _bad_ for the other boy; in fact, it seemed like everyone in the world knew except for Minato. The way that Minato made him feel was indescribable; the way his soft smile made his heart flutter, those hypnotic cobalt eyes, the way his brows scrunched up when he got confused. Everything from his head to his toes was beautiful to Ryoji, and just the thought of seeing him tonight had his heart beating a million miles per minute. Ryoji wanted to tell him-- really, he did-- but he knew how slim the chances of reciprocation were.

It didn’t mean he couldn’t think about him, though. Think about how soft his hands would be interlocked with his own. How perfectly his lithe body would fit in Ryoji’s arms. How sweet his lips would taste--

A tap on his shoulder had Ryoji jumping out of his skin, jumping up from his spot on the bench and turning to face whoever the hell had decided to interrupt his daydreams.

_”Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you._

Of course it was Minato, softly framed by the streetlamp overhead as he made his way around the bench, a smile working its way onto his face at the boy’s reaction. Fuck, he was cute.

 _”No worries! It’s fine.”_ Ryoji responded sheepishly, returning the smile. _”I’m glad you’re here. I was starting to think I’d get to have the park all to myself.”_

_”Sorry I’m late. Had to sneak out.”_

_”Wait you snuck out?”_

_”Well, yeah,”_ Minato shrugged, _”Mitsuru would never let me out alone this late.”_

_”But you’re not alone. You’re with me.”_

_”I know. And I’m glad.”_ The statement had Ryoji burning up to his ears, burying his face in his scarf as discreetly as he could. _”Anyway,”_ Minato signed, _”Can we sit on the jungle gym? I brought a blanket for the top.”_

Ryoji was surprised to see that Minato had indeed brought a bag slung over his shoulder, bulging with what Ryoji could only assume was the blanket from the other boys’ bed. Ryoji nodded and walked with the boy to the tall, metal structure. Ryoji had never been on one before, as far as he could remember. Not that it said much, as Ryoji could hardly remember anything from beyond his transfer. It all felt foggy; indistinguishable in the jumbled mess that was his brain. Like he had been watching a movie that he could only barely remember the plot of. Ryoji shook off the thought and instead started climbing the jungle gym, making it to the top quickly and moving to help Minato unfold the blanket across the top. The way that the metal bars criss-crossed along the top provided a perfect-- if a little lumpy-- support for them to lay on, looking up to the sky above them. It was beautiful weather; the stars were only slightly concealed by a light cloud layer, and the moon was shining nice and bright in the sky. It would be full in the next few days, if Ryoji had to guess.

Minato gave him a tap, asking for his attention. _”Do you want to listen to music with me?”_ He extended a headphone out to Ryoji, who took it with a smile. He had only ever heard Minato’s music blaring out of his headphones while he was wearing them; now he finally had a chance to hear the music firsthand. Minato pressed the play button and the music started playing, rattling around in Ryoji’s ear like a megaphone. It was loud, but it certainly wasn’t unpleasant. The way the beat seemed to echo the pounding of Ryoji’s heart made him feel oddly at ease, watching the soft drifting of the clouds across the sky.

 _”I like it,”_ Ryoji responded finally, after the first song had rounded out to an end. Minato seemed relieved then, turning back to look at the stars. Ryoji wanted to follow his example and look up as well, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off of the boy next to him. He seemed so peaceful, so nice and comfortable there. The moon seemed to reflect off his eyes, glistening serenely in the low-light. His body shivered when a particularly cold breeze swept over the pair, Minato’s brows scrunching up at the chill. Ryoji wanted to kiss his forehead, smooth out the distress there. Wanted to wrap him up in the blanket beneath them and hold him nice and close, feel the way his heart beat beneath its ribcage.

Minato turned to look at him, simply blinking and looking directly at him. _”You’re staring.”_

_”Yeah.”_

_”Why?”_

_”You look peaceful.”_

Minato paused, eyes darting to look at the blanket below them. His long eyelashes fluttered over his cheeks and Ryoji was nearly breathless.

He really _was_ breathless when Minato gingerly took Ryoji’s hand in his own, rubbing his thumb over the palm of Ryoji’s hand. His hands were as soft as Ryoji imagined them to be. This was a dream. He had to be dreaming.

 _”Is this okay?”_ Minato asked with his free hand, nerves alight in the way his hand shook. Or maybe that was just the cold.

 _”More than okay,”_ Ryoji reassured, squeezing the hand in his own to prove his point. The rosy blush appearing on Minato’s cheeks wasn’t lost on Ryoji, and it made him feel light as a feather. _”Is this a date?”_

_”Do you want it to be?”_

_”I’d like that very much.”_

_”Me, too.”_

_”... May I kiss you?”_

_”Please.”_

Ryoji released the hand he had placed in Minato’s own to cup his cheek instead, pulling the smaller boy closer and chastely pressing his lips to Minato’s.

It felt like fireworks. Funny that all those romance novels were right. Minato tasted like liquid honey. Felt like the warmest tea on a stormy day. Made Ryoji’s heart sing like a choir.

It only lasted for a few, heavenly moments but almost as soon as Ryoji had pulled away, Minato had smashed their lips back together again with more zeal than even Ryoji could have anticipated. Minato wasn’t shy about his eagerness, working a hand into Ryoji’s hair and licking at the other boy’s lower lip, earning a sigh as his lips were parted, as gentle as a breeze but as powerful as a firecracker. It was like they were made to fit together this way, Minato’s body suddenly flush against Ryoji’s own as they explored this new territory, this somehow _dangerous_ territory that Ryoji could faintly feel buzzing insistently in the back of his skull. Dangerous as it may be, Ryoji was instantly enamoured with the way that Minato’s skin felt against his own and the whisper-quiet moan that had bubbled up from between his perfect lips. The music was still blaring in Ryoji’s ears and it made things feel even more surreal, more far away and yet so entirely grounding. What a lucky, _lucky_ boy he was.

The two didn’t stop their loving assault on each other until long after the music had stopped playing; the playlist had come to an end, chests so warm that the chill had long since become irrelevant. Not to mention the way Minato was now entirely pressed into Ryoji’s chest, snuggled safely in his arms. Ryoji hoped Minato couldn’t feel how fast his heart was beating.

 _”I adore you.”_ Ryoji smiled, pulling away from the other boy far enough for him to see. _”I’ve wanted that since the first day I met you.”_ Minato flushed harder still.

 _”Me too,”_ Minato admitted. _”What does this make us?”_

_”Well, I’m hoping it makes you my boyfriend. If that’s okay. If not, that’s fine, I understand! But if not then maybe we can go on more dates? Like, real ones? I don’t know, I don’t want to assume--”_

_”Wow, I had no idea my boyfriend likes to ramble so much.”_ Minato smiled smugly at the way Ryoji froze mid-sentence, eyes lighting up with a giddy sort of excitement that made Minato want to kiss him.

So, he did.


End file.
